Valkyrie Pearl
Valkyrie Pearl was a Mark-4/b Jeager produced by the United States of America. It was originally built as test bed to house what would become the XIG Supercell Chamber, but was hastily outfitted to intercept the Kaiju, Zansit, after it was detected nearing the Midway Atoll. It was the smallest Jeager created during the Kaiju War and was piloted by sisters Kainoa and Uli Winters. Early History and Combat Record Although it was launched on Feburary 12th, 2018 to intercept a Kaiju near Midway, the testing frame that would become Valkyrie Pearl was built in early 2017 in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Originally designated JF-23, it was designed to specify the mounting parameters and security of a new Jeager energy core jointly developed by the Australian and US sections of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps called the G-1 Tesla Chamber. The G-1 would later be developed into the XIG Supercell Chamber which would power the Australian Mark-5 Jeager: Striker Eureka. At only 182 ft feet tall and weighing just 991 tons, it was the only Jeager to be produced outside of a Shatterdome and constantly toured the Pacific Rim. Its small size allowed for unmatched agility which was aided by a menagerie of pulsejets and burst thrusters mounted to its back. Despite its short career as a full fledged Jeager, Valkyrie Pearl is credited with 5 Kaiju kills. It was often looked to as a beacon of hope within the PPDC, achieving great success against the Kaiju regardless of its size. Zansit Interception On Feburary 12th 2018, sonar picked up the category II Kaiju Zansit just east of the Midway Islands. Fearing that it was on its way to attack the North American west coast and with no Jeagers close enough to respond, engineers at Pearl Harbor hastily outfitted the test frame JF-23 for combat. Pilot duo Kainoa and Uli Winters, who had operated the machine since its construction, readily accepted the task of engaging Zansit until reinforcements could arrive. Hours later, JF-23 and Winters sisters were dropped onto the outlying sand bars of the Midway Atoll. Armed with two experimental Pilebunkers, they engaged Zansit in a battle that lasted nearly two hours and stretched from Sand Island to Eastern Island. JF-23 sustained major damage was nearly destroyed when Zansit grabbed the frame from behind in attempts to crush it. However, Kaiona's quick thinking and Uli's quick reflexes saw the Kaiju's defeat when they overloaded JF-23's pulsejet backpack, blowing a large hole through Zansit's chest. Days later it was decided JF-23 would be repaired, refit and redeployed as a Jeager with the name Valkyrie Pearl. Tour of the Pacific Rim Following its victory at Midway and subsequent redesignation, Valkyrie Pearl became a nomad and circled the Pacific Rim acting as a quick response unit for the Shatterdome network. It continued its use as a testing platform and was outfitted with a plethora of weapon systems including the AKW-11 "Viking" pick-axe, which would become a permanent part of The Pearl's load out, and both the XM-101 pilebunker and EM5T "Ontos" recoilless rifle. On the morning of April 1, 2018, Valkyrie Pearl is deployed to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to engage a category II Kaiju dubbed Jester. Upon arrival, Jester took flight and began retreating toward the Marieta Islands near the mouth of the Bay of Banderas. The Pearl engaged its Icarus backpack and leapt after the monster, managing to tear off one of its wings in mid-flight. Without a means of a quick escape, Jester desperately lashed out at at its Jeager foe, but was mortally wounded by an axe strike to the neck. With the Kaiju pinned underfoot, The Pearl placed its pilebunker to the beast's head and pull the trigger. Jester's defeat would be the second and final solo Kaiju kill in Valkyrie Pearl's career. Just over a month later, Valkyrie Pearl would be deployed to Puerto San Jose, ahead of Gipsy Danger, to interdict a Kaiju attacking the city. It was able to successfully halt the monster's attack, buying enough time for Gipsy Danger to arrive. Pearl provided supporting fire with his back-mounted recoilless rifle while Gipsy engaged the Kaiju in hand-to-hand combat. The relentless attack made it impossible for the Kaiju to put up a focused defense which allowed for Gipsy Danger to grapple the monster and break its neck. Both Jeager teams were credited with the kill, but Gispy Danger was able to claim a solo kill for it after Yancy Becket won a game of cards against Uli. Pearl's next deployment was on March 20th, 2019 when it responded to a call for reinforcements in Juneau, Alaska. Arriving in the middle of a grappling match between the Russian Jeager Chasm Aurora and category III Kaiju, Outrider, Valkyrie Pearl engaged the Kaiju with its recoilless rifle, causing it to falter and giving Chasm an opening to throw the monster into the channel. After an hour, the duo were able to push Outrider back out into Stephen's Passage and away from civilization. In the final moments of the battle, Chasm Aurora overloaded torque drives to toss Valkyrie Pearl high into the air before charging and tackling the Kaiju, holding it in place by its mid section. Pearl ignited its pulsejet backpack and barreled down with its pilebunker primed. The sound of the engines rattled windows as far as JNU and when Pearl struck the top of Outrider's crown the Kaiju looked as if it had caved in on itself down to its shoulders. Upon seeing Outrider's demise, Dina Olstok, left-pilot of Chasm Aurora, excitedly exclaimed "сжатие гром! (Crushing Thunder!)" which became the name for the finishing blow. It would be November 14th 2019 when Valkyrie Pearl was deployed again. Linking up with the Canadian Jeager Kodiak Intrepid and South Korean Jeager Yankee Sunset, the trio moved to the Taipei 10 mile line to engage the category III Kaiju, Sunder. Though they outnumbered Sunder, the Kaiju towered over all three Jeagers and proved to be a tenacious foe, pushing the defenders back to Taipei's Miracle Mile. Near the conclusion of the battle Kodiak Intrepid was destroyed after striking a crippling blow to the monster's left knee. Sunder's barbed tail glanced off of Kodiak's plated shoulder and impaled the Jeager through its Conn-Pod, killing the pilots instantly. The battle finally ended when Valkyrie Pearl leapt onto Sunder's upper back, using its climbing greaves and pick-axe to latch on, and pulled its arms and head back, opening it up to Yankee Sunset's fighting claws which were driven through the Kaiju's abdomen. Valkyrie Pearl would patrol the Asian seaboard until late December when it resumed its tour around the Pacific Rim. Final Deployment and Destruction On January 2nd 2020, a category II Kaiju signature was picked up near the Pitcairn Islands via sonobouy. Easily one of the most remote areas to ever see a Kaiju, Valkyrie Pearl was deployed to monitor and if needed intercept and engage. To better track the Kaiju, Pearl's XM-101 pilebunker was switched out for a UMS-305 "Harmony" Sonar Imager, much to Kainoa and Uli's dismay. Upon arrival the Kaiju's position was still 15 miles north of Henderson Island and proceeding west according to the sonobouy readings. However, nearly as soon as Valkyrie Pearl activated the Harmony imager, the Kaiju changed course and headed toward the island at incredible speed. At four miles out, the signature nearly doubled in size. The Kaiju that rose from the water that day would come to be designated a category IV called Deeproyal. It was apparent that the monster would be too much for Valkyrie Pearl on its own and reinforcements from Lima and Australia were called immediately. However, even the most rapid deployment would take hours to reach the Islands, Pearl was on its own. Relying on speed alone, Valkyrie Pearl was able to evade most of Deeproyal's blows, but was not powerful enough make any meaningful counter attacks. After striking the Kaiju in the eye with its pick axe, several of the Jeager's pulse jet engines overheated and drastically reduced its mobility. Deeproyal was able to grab its foe and Valkyrie Pearl was slammed into the island, knocking out its comms system. At that point, only video relayed from the Jumphawks was received. Deeproyal dragged The Pearl out to sea as it hacked at the Kaiju with its pick-axe. The pair submerged and forty-five minutes later, all readings of Deeproyal and Valkyrie Pearl disappeared. Two weeks after it vanished beneath the waves, the twisted wreckage of Valkyrie Pearl's empty Conn-Pod washed up on the shore of Isla Isabela in the Galapagos Islands; the bodies of Kainoa and Uli Winters were assumed lost to the sea. Wreckage would continue to wash up on shores as far as south as Valparaiso, Chile and as far north as Ensenada, Mexico. Deeproyal's signature was never seen again. Legacy Valkyrie Pearl and the Winters sisters did not enjoy the same amount of fanfare and rock-star recognition from the public as other Jeager teams. The reasons for this may be due to the Jeager's nomadic state, while it was a US Jeager it was never officially stationed at any Shatterdome for more than a few months and in thus failed to drum up any notion of national pride. Its size may also have played a role in keeping it out of the spotlight. By comparison, Valkyrie Pearl was nowhere near the spectacle that Gipsy Danger or Strike Eureka were. However, what it lacked in public recognition it more than made up for in the advancement of the Jeager Program. The data produced during testing and battle were a boon for the Pan Pacific Defense Corps research and development teams. With their findings the G-1 Tesla Chamber was developed into the XIG Supercell Chamber, which would power the Australian Mark-5 Jeager Striker Eureka. Only a month after the defeat at Henderson Isle, designs were drawn up for the United States' own Mark-5 Jeager, Tango Sanoma, which incorporated elements of Valkyrie Pearl's frame and used its Rapid Deployment/Eject Ready Mounting System. Unfortunately, the Jeager Program was closed before construction could start. The Anew Valkyrie Pearl was restored 2030 after commander Jun Jie seen it abilities and power moves it can do.He Decided to upgrade it with Duel long range Sniper cannons connected to the backpack and duel high heated metal blades with anchors with a new name,Valkyrie Prime Features Valkyrie Pearl may have been one of the most versatile Jeagers of the War, testing and fielding a plethora of weapons systems and equipment. It was also unmatched in speed and agility, even outperforming Stiker Eureka. During its transition from test frame to Jeager many systems and attachments were streamlined and integrated into the final design. Rapid Deployment/Eject Ready Mounting System Though not a new concept, most Jeager designs passed over removable components in favor of built in equipment. When JF-23 was being re-purposed, it was found that much of machines structure was built around a sturdy mount and lock system. Instead of removing the system, which would have resulted in them essentially rebuilding Valkyrie Pearl from the ground up, they simply reinforced the locks, moved the receiving ports to positions that allowed for better freedom of movement and added a quick ejection system. The RD/ER Mounting System was born and it allowed Valkyrie Pearl to adapt to any situation on the fly. This was especially useful in the battle of Taipei when Pearl ejected the XM-101 "Injection" Pilebunker from its left forearm to grab the Kaiju Sunder's arm, sealing its fate. PJ-2 "Icarus" Pulsejet Backpack One of The Pearl's most notable traits was the mass of afterburners on its back. During its fight with Zansit, the "Icarus Pack" was one of the hastily assembled module attachments to aid the rigid JF-23's agility. It ended up not only saving the pilots but killing the Kaiju by blowing a hole through it with the force of its output. The pack was completely integrated into Valkyrie Pearl's frame during the its upgrade. The system is capable of propelling the Jeager forward at incredible speeds allowing it to swiftly close with adversaries or reposition unexpectedly. While it produces enough force to lift Valkyrie Pearl at a rate of about 120ft/min at 100% throttle, the engines themselves can only sustain those parameters for 90 seconds before becoming dangerously overheated. Instead it was primarily used in bursts to allow the Jeager to make long jumps or add power to a strike. The only instance of excessive use was during the battle of Juneau, when the "Crushing Thunder" finisher was performed. SM-60 ANCHOR Climbing Package Due to Valkyrie Pearl's size, it was destined to face Kaiju that were larger than itself. This was often a point of humor for Kainoa Winter who joked that the safest place Valkyrie Pearl could be in a fight against massive Kaiju was attached to the middle of its back. The jokes were discussed among the engineering team and then made into a functioning piece of equipment. A pair of greaves with hooked razors were attached to the Jeager's shins and another pair was attached to the underside of its forearms. They doubled as anchors when firing larger caliber weapons. Kainoa would enjoy a laugh when her joke was put to practice during the battle of Taipei. AKW-11 "Viking" Swing-Out Axe The only other piece of equipment to be permanently integrated into Valkyrie Pearl's design was the Anti-Kaiju Weapon Mk11 Pick-Axe, commonly referred to as the "Viking". The first version of the weapon was first tested two weeks after JF-23 was converted into a full fledged Jeager. PPDC Engineers were worried about the lack of offensive capabilities Valkyrie Pearl possessed (the experimental pilebunkers JF-23 had been equipped with during its battle with Zansit proved too heavy and too difficult to deploy properly) and in the interest of saving time, created the XM-11 Short Axe. The simplicity of the weapon garnered jeers from many, but the ease of use, light weight and reliability made it a favorite of both Kainoa and Uli. While the axe itself was a success, the problem of its deployment in live combat remained. Simply carrying the axe all of the time would be an inconvenience and pose the risk of losing it during battle. Storing it on the Jeager would put The Pearl in a position of defenselessness for valuable seconds while unsheathing. The solution came in the form of a very simple lever system. The main lever arm, ran by a drive gear on Peal's wrist, would open 160° before unlocking a smaller second lever arm attached to its free end, which would swing the weapon's handle directly into Valkyrie Pearl's grasp. An electromagnet would hold the weapon in place and would deactivate once the handle was grasped. The axe itself was retooled, given an opposite pick head, lightening holes and fitted to the lever system before all of it was integrated into Valkyrie Pearl's right arm. Viking would see its first combat use in Puerto Vallarta, where it inflicted a mortal blow to the Kaiju Jester. XM-101 "Injection" Pilebunker During its battle with Zansit, JF-23 was equipped with two experimental pilebunkers, which were to serve as the frame's main offense. The weapons were too heavy for JF-23s drive engines to lift, only allowing the frame a limited ability to lift and swing its arms. This disadvantage nearly cost Uli and Kainoa their lives when Zansit grabbed JF-23 from behind and attempted to crush it. During JF-23's upgrade, the pilebunkers were redesigned. The spring-hydrualic piston system, used to drive and retract the stake, were scrapped in favor of a lighter and much more powerful electromagnetic one. This not only reduced weight, but drastically reduced its size. The XM-101 was presented with Valkyrie Pearl and proved its worth by striking killing blows to both Jester and Outrider. EM5T "Ontos" Recoilless Rifle UMS-305 "Harmony" Sonar Imager Kaiju Killed See Also Columbia North Kodiak IntrepidCategory:Fan-made Jaegers Category:Jaeger Category:Mark IV